Striper Numbers Up

[Fly Rod]

For those of you interested in striped bass fishing.<br /><br />According to the Maryland Dept. of Natural Resouces, has found that a record number of juvinile striped bass were born in the upper Chesapeake Bay last summer. The average haul was 25.8 baby stripers per survey site, more then double the long term average of 11.9 and the highest count since1970<br />for the study, biologists collected 3,399 young of the year striped bass from the fresh water estuaries where they are born. Heavy spring rains and cooler then average tempertures are credited for last years bumper crop of striped bass. The program which has been in place since 1954 collects and counts young striped bass from 22 survey sites on four major spawning rivers.

 

[rolmops]

Re: Striper Numbers Up

Hello Flyrod.<br />I hope your business is going to get better because of this.<br />How many years from now will this translate into a greater amount of legal size stripers?<br />Mops.

 

[Fly Rod]

Re: Striper Numbers Up

It takes about 7 years for a 28" fish to to be legal for sport fishing and about 10years for a 34 " fish for commercial fishing.<br />There are plenty of stripers around now. Every now and then we catch them with a gray slime. The biologist claim that is due to to many fish in a area.<br />They have made a great come back since almost going extinct in the late seventies.

 

[rolmops]

Re: Striper Numbers Up

Is there any relationship between striper numbers going up and bluefish going down?

 

[Fly Rod]

Re: Striper Numbers Up

I don;t think so Rolmops.<br />It has to do with all the regulations that have been implemented since the early 80s.<br />Give or take a year, it takes about 10 years for a striper to spawn, which makes that fish about 36" <br />Since they banned fishing for them with nets and protected by the Federal Gov.out beyond 3miles they have been making a tremendous rebound.<br />Now with so many there are out breaks of disease.<br />In Maryland there has been a reddish rash on some.<br />They do still have a netting season in the Chesapeak Bay but very limited.

 

[lund17]

Re: Striper Numbers Up

Flyrod<br />Are these juveniles the same fish that may run the Hudson in a couple of years or do these fish return to the same area. My understanding was that the Hudson spawn was a false spawn and does not produce a year class. Do you know anything about this?<br /><br />Rolmops<br />Do you fish the Hudson for stripers? I fish pretty hard late April-May catch and release. If your interested shoot me off an E-mail. A thirty pounder is a blast and there's no doubt in my mind there are a number of 60's in the river each year. It's only amatter of time!

 

[cjones4@hvc.rr.com]

Re: Striper Numbers Up

Neil, I striper fish the Hudson in the Newburgh area. I believe the Hudson spawn is a real one, producing the fish that return each spring. I've learned a lot (and forgotten most) from the Hudson River Almanacs. Currently it is only being published online. Here is some info on how to subscribe:<br /><br />The Hudson River E-Almanac is compiled and edited by Tom Lake and e-mailed weekly by the Hudson River Estuary Program. To sign up to receive the E-Almanac (or to unsubscribe), send an email message to hrep@gw.dec.state.ny.us and write E-Almanac in the subject line.<br /><br />Past issues were published in books and can be purchased:<br /><br />Copies of past issues of the Hudson River Almanac, Volumes II-VIII, are available for purchase from the publisher, Purple Mountain Press, (800) 325-2665, or email purple@catskill.net.

 

[crab bait]

Re: Striper Numbers Up

that's what they say.. <br /><br />i've been fishin' the top chesapeake,the flats,an the trib rivers ever since the moritorium was lifted in the early 90's..<br />an all honesty,, even before.. never kept 'em,tho.. see i was catfishin' ( wink-wink)..an a lousy rockfish took the bait..!! <br /><br />when rock/striper was allowed,<br />back then .. 36 to 40 inchers would almost literally jump in the boat.. ( many many fish would actually run into/hit into the boat hull ) an top water pluggin' was a hit every cast... and i mean every cottonpickin'cast..<br /><br />now,, ya almost have to use live/cut bait..<br /><br />what i'm sayin' is the past 4 springs or so has been very very wet an cold.. an one would think that they didn't come up at all..cause fishin' was horrible..

 

[Fly Rod]

Re: Striper Numbers Up

crab bait:<br />You probably contact your Maryland Dept. of Natural Resouces.<br /><br />I can understand about needing live/chunk bait.After they make there jouney north that is 99% of what there diet is up here. Here along our coast and I mean just off Gloucester one little area the recreatioal fleet must chunk a million lbs. a week. And that is what they key on up here. We feed them a chunk bait diet for 6 months.

 

[crab bait]

Re: Striper Numbers Up

yeah but never i had to chunk bait before.. i always feed 'em a diet of broken-back bomber LONG A's... <br /><br />matter-of-fact.. if allamongya's ever see a rock with a face full of lures,, give 'em back to me .. PLALEEZE...gets costly.!

 

[Fly Rod]

Re: Striper Numbers Up

Nail 2 fish:<br />Sorry I missed your reply.<br /><br />If I understand you correctly about the hudson run. Your saying that some of these fingerlings should go to the hudson.<br />Well I do know that the majority go back to the Chesapeake to spawn. So the adults from your area as the ones from here all go back so I would have to say "yes" that some of these must go back to the Hudson. Plus you have to remember that these fingerlings will be prayed upon just like any other fish so how many accually make it?? Your guess is just as good as mine. Also remember that some of these spawning fish don't make it back to spawn, you have gill netters that devaste the fishery and you have mid water trawlers.